Improvement in splicing fence-rails



NITED STATES DANIEL W. KNOWLES, OF HOTCHKISSVILLE, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN *sPLlclNe FENCE-RAILS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 144,113, dated October28, 1873 5 application filed August 27, 1873.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, DANIEL W. KNowLns, of Hotchkissville, in the countyof Litchfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvementin Splicing FenceRails; and I do hereby declare the following, whentaken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters ofreference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification,and represent, in-

Fig. l, a view of the fence upon the postside 5 Fig. 2, a verticalsection in the line of the post; Fig. 3, a longitudinal central sectionthrough one line of the rail; and in Fig. 4, one

of the coupling-plates detached. l

This invention relates to a device for securing the ends or joints infence-rails, such as are used with iron rods for posts.

The usual practice for forming the joint in the rail for this class offence has been to lap one rail onto the next, or by a bevel or halvedjoint, and running the post through the joint.

This construction exposes the joint to the weather, and is, at best, buta weak construction.

To overcome these difficulties is the object of my invention; and itconsists in the arrangement of a metal plate, both upon the upper andlower sides of the rails at the joint, with-a flange projecting' overthe edge, and one or both of the plates extending out from the` rail toreceive the post, as more fully hereinafter described.

A is one length of rail, and B the other, in

the same line. These are cut at right langles at their meeting lines,and butted together, as seen in Fig. 3. Upon the upper side of therails, at the joint, a plate, C, is placed, anda corresponding plate, D,upon the under side,

extending to the right and left from the joint, and each With a flange,a, projecting from the plate over the edge of the rail, as seen in Figs.l and 2. A bolt, d, (one or 1nore,) passes through the two plates andrail, as seen in Fig. 3, iirmly securing the two ends together.

The plate upon the lower rail is perforated,

preferably with an elongated hole, e, as seen in Fig. 4, and the plateupon the upper rail is formed with a corresponding socket, so that thepost E will extend through the lower plate and the upper plate rest onthe end of the post, as seen in Fig. 3. y

It will be understood that these posts are formed from iron, rods,usually secured into a stone foundation at the bottom.

The perforation e in the lower plate is made elongated in order to adaptthe coupling to .rails which are on an inclination to the post,

ldritnesses Jrs. HUNTINGTON, J. J. BROTHWELL.

